1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical terminals and, in particular, to electrical terminals having a contact portion formed from a single blank of material.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
It is known in the industry to form electrical contacts from a single blank of material. When these contacts include a enclosed box portion, there is at least one seam that must be joined together to maintain the structural integrity of the box. One way of accomplishing this is to laser weld a number of places along the box. A problem with this is that laser welding is relatively slow in relation to the stamping and forming processes being applied to the manufacture of the contact. Another problem is that the laser welding equipment involves a large capital expense. Therefore, it has been discovered that it is possible to join the seam together by way of interlocking mechanical features formed therealong. These features may take on the form of a dove-tail type joint or the rounded meandering similar to the keys on pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
In order to join the complementary mechanical features together along the seam, it is necessary to support the walls which incorporate these mechanical features from the inside of the box portion. This is typically accomplished by inserting a support member into either of the open ends about which the box shell has been formed. A problem with this exists where the simultaneous stamping and forming processes result in contact structure that blocks the ends of the box or the structure is not sufficiently large that a robust pin may be inserted therein. Therefore, what is necessary is to provide support to the underside of the seams corresponding to the mechanical interlocking portions without needing access through the open ends of the box portion.
Another problem that occurs in stamping and forming a single blank of material to form a contact portion of an electrical terminal is that it is necessary in some designs to have certain features overlie another feature. This is typically accomplished by the design layout of the blank of material. However, in some cases it is impossible to form the desired feature in such a way that it overlaps the other component. What is needed is a way to overlie one component with another feature of a one piece contact.